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Ship sank after explosion, two missing

The "Ursa Major" sank in the Mediterranean on the night of Dec 23 south of the port city of Cartagena. There was an explosion in the engine room. Two sailors are missing. The ship came from St. Petersburg and was also supposed to go to Syria. In a brief statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the sinking of the freighter in "international waters" shortly after 9 a.m. on Christmas Eve. The "Ursa Major" had capsized and then sank around midnight. Shipping in the area is now being warned of drifting wreckage. Of the 16 crew members, 14 were rescued and brought to Cartagena by the Spanish maritime rescue service. The two missing sailors were presumably killed in the explosion and sank with the ship. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the sailors are not from Russia. Shortly after the explosion, the "Ursa Major" started to list, and a distress call was sent. Spain sent the naval ship "Serviola" and the emergency tug "Clara Campoamor" to the position south of Cartagena. The "Ursa Major" was already listing heavily when it arrived. The Russian freighter "Sparta", which had set off from the Baltic Sea together with the "Ursa Major", also went to the stricken vessel, but could not do anything. The rescued sailors were taken on board the emergency tug. The "Ursa Major" had also loaded two large harbour cranes and was supposed to take these cranes to Vladivostok in Asia. However, during the journey through the Baltic and North Seas, the "Sparta" and "Ursa Major" were escorted by the Russian frigate "Soobrazitelny", which also indicates that there was military goods from the Russian army on board.

Russian ship with militär goods adrift

The 'Ursa Major', sent by the Russian Federation to evacuate its weapons and equipment from Syria, has suffered a failure of the fuel line of the main engine on Dec 22, 2024. The crew was trying to fix the problem, while the ship was drifting off Algeciras. The incident occurred amid the withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria, following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Troops have been withdrawn to the bases in Khmeimim and Tartus, preparing for a possible complete evacuation by Feb 20, 2025. In parallel, Russia has begun transferring part of its military equipment from the port of Tartus to Libya. In addition, negotiations are underway with Libyan leader Khalifa Haftar to relocate naval assets and military equipment to Libyan territory, seeking to maintain its strategic presence in the region after the loss of influence in Syria.

Russian convoy shadowed during transit of German EEZ

The Russian frigate 'Neustrashimy' has escorted a convoy, consisting of the 'URSA Major' and 'Sparta IV' from its own country in the Baltic Sea for the first time through the Fehmarnbelt and the Kadet Trench on March 21, 2024. These ships are said to be carrying large quantities of weapons and equipment from Syria. The deployment of the frigate to escort the two freighters on the Baltic Sea indicates high-quality weapons and equipment. Both freighters were loaded in a Syrian port in February and were supposed to enter the Black Sea through the Turkish straits. However, in view of the threat from Ukrainian drones, the freighters turned around and instead of taking the shorter route through the Bosphorus, chose the almost 9,000 nautical mile route around Europe into the Baltic Sea. The Russian freighters reached a position north of Skagen on MArch 20, where the 'Neustrashimy' was waiting and formed a convoy with the freighters. Weapons and radar systems were active. The Danish Navy sent a patrol boat and a naval home guard boat to escort the convoy through the Great Belt. At 11 a.m. the Belt Bridge near Korsör was passed. There were no violations. After leaving the Great Belt, the Russian convoy was accompanied at the entrance to the Fehmarnbelt in the afternoon by the mine diving boat “Rottweil” of the 3rd Minesweeper Squadron from Kiel and the two patrol ships “Bamberg” and “Neustadt”, with the “Bamberg” sailing ahead of the convoy and the “Neustadt” and “Rottweil” following behind. They passed through the construction site for the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel at a speed of 12 knots. The Russian ships adhered to traffic regulations. The “Sparta IV” and “URSA Major” belong to a shipping company in Novorossiysk. Both ships were visibly well loaded. On the “Sparta IV” there were numerous containers stacked on the deck. They would be an easy target for Ukrainian drones. Russian freighters do not have to provide any information about their cargo or purpose when transiting through Germany's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Federal Police did not have any reliable information about the cargo of the “Sparta IV” and “URSA Major”. However, the draft of the ships revealed that they were carrying heavy cargo. Both freighters have been on the US and EU sanctions lists since 2022. If they were to suffer an accident in German territorial waters, the federal police would arrest them immediately. Until the evening, the surveillance of the Russian ships went without any particular incidents. The ships were expected to leave the German EEZ around 11 p.m. with the same course. On board the frigate “Neustrashimy” is a helicopter specially equipped to defend against drones. The path of the two ships had been followed for weeks by NATO secret services and naval forces.